Wake Up and Smell The Jet Fuel!

Ep. 11: After Landing I’ll Call You

On July 4, 2000, Malév Flight 262 rolls into Thessaloniki with big “I’ve done this a thousand times” energy, and then casually forgets the one accessory that makes landin

Ep. 10: Tower Air’s Warehouse Terminal

Most people think JFK means iconic architecture, glossy international terminals, and the vague scent of overpriced bottled water. But in the early 1990s, Tower Air ran pa

Ep. 9: The Great US Airways Coke Crisis

In the summer of 2008, as fuel prices spiked and airlines panicked, US Airways tried an idea so unpopular it became aviation folklore: charging coach passengers for soft

Ep. 8: The Bathroom Break Upset

At 41,000 feet over the Pacific, an Air Nippon Boeing 737-700 turned into a physics lesson because of one simple human error: the First Officer tried to unlock the cockpi

Ep. 7: Kampuchea Airlines and the Bangkok Taxiway Abandonment

In July 2001 at 1 AM in Bangkok, a charter flight home for Korean tourists turned into a surreal airport nightmare. The airline was Kampuchea Airlines, the aircraft was a

Ep. 6: The Weekend SNA Became “International”

In 2002, Alaska Airlines tried to launch nonstop service from Vancouver to Santa Ana’s John Wayne Airport and accidentally discovered that “international” is not a vibe,

Ep. 5: Northwest 188 and the Missing Minneapolis

In October 2009, Northwest Airlines Flight 188, an Airbus A320 from San Diego to Minneapolis, managed to do the one thing an airliner is not supposed to do on approach: i

Ep. 4: SkyDeli and the Bag Lunch Revolution

Before QR code menus and fifteen-dollar snack boxes, Delta ran a brilliantly cynical little experiment called SkyDeli. Starting in the mid-1990s, instead of serving tray

Ep. 3: United’s Summer of Hell

Summer 2000 should have been peak travel season. Instead, United turned it into a case study in how an airline can collapse without a single hurricane in sight. With an o

Ep. 2: More Room Throughout Coach

In 2000, American Airlines did something so rare it deserves to be preserved in a museum: they voluntarily made economy class roomier. The “More Room Throughout Coach” ca

Ep. 1: The Zombie Accelerometer

A Malaysia Airlines 777 leaves Perth for Kuala Lumpur and immediately chooses violence, but in the most corporate way possible: by politely delivering contradictory warni